Recommended Strategy and Sequence in Using the Spanish Paleography Tool
Whatever the level of prior command of Spanish reading the user may have, we would recommend that first-time learners of Spanish paleography begin by reading and reviewing first the typed transcription of the particular manuscript they are interested in. This preliminary exposure to the document’s content in a typed version will make it much easier to then identify (and memorize) the individual handwritten letters and words of a manuscript of any given writing style. Eventually the user will reach a degree of mastery and will no longer need the provided transcriptions.
Pre-reading the typed transcriptions offered in the Tool will help the user familiarize himself or herself with the vocabulary and the idiomatic and or institutional expressions used in the manuscript documents which, if unknown, can create a significant hurdle in the deciphering of the script. The greater familiarity one has with the vocabulary and idioms of the time, the easier it is to implement the trial and error strategy and to use the broader context of the document to decipher unfamiliar letters or terms.